Exhaust gas purifying method and apparatus



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ANIMA ITT wm M mm@ SANA Wwf ,W E y E@ NQ D Mins w1 QM .T XH 5 l I l I l I IHN||||| w \a o MNT 7 WA TMNMU l JQ m m\ fr f. MSN vlmmwwl Nm @W wo\ om W Dec. 110, 1963 J. B. CAMPBELL EXHAUST @As PURIFYTNG METHOD AND APPARATUS mea aan. 5, 19Go Dec. l0, 1963 .1. B. CAMPBELL EXHAUST GAS PURIFYING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed Jan. 5. 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 sw .//r//// N Y OM r EvNv United States Patent Oil-ice 3,113,418 EXHAUST @Ad PUEEYENG Mllll AND APPARATUS laines E. Campbell, Glendale, Quilt. (755' Walnut St., Gadsden, Ala.) Filed lan. 5, 11966, Ser. No. dill l Claim. (Cl. dll-3d) This invention relates to novel and improved apparatus and rnethod for reducing the noxious content of exaust gases, both gaseous and solid, ordinarily discharged into the atmosphere by internal combustion engines and other lapparatus producing such exhaust gases.

rEhe prirnary object of the invention is the provision of encient, simple, and easily used and operated rneans of the character indicated, which produces continuous and more complete combustion of exhaust gases by injecting oxygen-bearing atmospheric air under pressure into un exhaust conduit, at a location close to` the origin of the exhaust gas, as `close to the exhaust ports of an internal combustion engine within its exhaust manifold, and at the exhaust gas flame points therein, so as to relieve oxygen starvation `at these points and supply oxygen thereto, in a manner to effect more complete combustion of cornponen-ts of the exhaust gas which otherwise conta-reinste the atmosphere when discharged thereinto.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the character indicated above which is readily adaptable to and is easily installed on diiferent lorins and sizes of internal combustion engines, and in particular the engines of vehicles, and which can be produced at sufficiently low cost to warrant widespread use thereof on vehicles, in the interest of the reduction of stieg and air pollution.

A further obiect of the invention is to provide tus of the character indicated above w h involves no lire hazards, operates only while the associated engine 's in operation, involves no electrical consumption or con` trol pr blerns, and provides for the burning of the noxious exhaust gas components, both gaseous and solid, and consequent increases in exhaust gas temperature, in fully enclosed, protected, and readily controlled portion or" an exhaust system, together with coolinfr of the puried exhaust gas before its discharge into the atmosphere.

Gther important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, specific form of the invention is set forth in detail.

fn the drawings:

FIGURE l is a fragmentary and contracted schematic 'view showing apparatus of .the invention installed in a vehicle internal combustion engine exhaust system;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section taken through the air compressor shown in FlGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of FlGURE 2;

llllGUlE 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section taken through the back-pressure valve of FGURE l, sh wing the valve element in closed position;

FGURB 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a cornpressor rotor;

FlGURE/S 6 and 7 are transverse sections taken on the lines 6 6 and 7-7, respectively, of rFiGUl?,E 2;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical longitudinal section, with portions broken away, taken through the engine exhaust manifold and its exhaust pipe;

FIGURE 9 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 9 9 of FiGURE S;

FIGURE 10 is a horizontal section taken on the line :id-)lil of FIGURE 8; and

FlGURES l1 and l2 yare horizontal sections taken on the lines ll-ll and lil-l2, respectively, of FIGURE 8.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the numeral ld' designates a vehicle internal combustion engine block having longitudinally spaced lateral exhaust ports 12 opening therefrom, which communicate with a horizontal exhaust manifold lli. At a suitable point between two adjacent exhaust ports l2, as at the middle thereof, the exhaust manifold ll is formed with a vertical tubular eanaust pipe junction lo to the lower end of which downwardy extending exhaust pipe is fixed. The junction lo has a closed top wall which is preferably on a level slightly above the top wall of the manifold Elf/l, as shown in FIGURES S and 9.

Extending downwardly in and concentrically spaced from the side wall 22 of the junction ld is a diffuser assembly .7J/l, which comprises an outer vertical cylindrical tube 25, of uniform diameter, having an inperfor-ate upper side wall portion 2d extending above the junction top wall 2i?, and a perforated lower side wall portion 3b extending below the top wall Z9. The perforations 3?,

' of the lower side wall portion 36 are evenly distributed and are relatively large in size. The iniperforato upper side Wall portion 23 is threaded, at its lower end, as indicated at 34, in a central opening 36 provided in the junction top wall Ztl, and a nut 3d fixed on the portion 2S above the threads 3ft, bears upon a gasket iii which is engaged with the upper surface of the junction top wall 2i).

Above the nut 38 the upper side wall 21S of the tube 26 is externally threaded, as indicated at i-2, to connect thereon the lower end of a coupling sleeve dei, whose upper end is threaded, as indicated at d6, onto the lower end or" the downwardly extending arm 1lb? of an elbow Si?, whose horizontal arm 52 mergesr into the adjacent end of a preferably horizontal air pipe 54, to whose other end an air compressor 56- is connected.

The diiuser assembly Zd further comprises a vertical inner .tube S3, which is somewhat shorter than the outer tube 56 `and which is concentrically spaced therein. inner tube 53 is uniform in diameter and has a perforated lower portion 613 and an irnperforate upi er portion 62. The perforations 6ft of the lower portion d@ are uniformly distributed therein, are of substantially the saine size as the outer tube perforations 32, with sorneof the inner tube perforations 64 registered with perforations of the outer tube Zd, as shown in FIGURE 9. The inner tube 58 is sp ced from the outer tube 2te by nieans of circumferentially spaced lugs S9 located in the region of the nut Eil, as shown in FIGURES 9 `and 10.

The inner tube 5S terminates at its lower end, at a point near to and spaced upwardly from the lower end 66 of ythe outer tube 26, inra downward ilare 6h which is imperforate and is connected at its lower end to the lower end `tid of the outer tube 2t. The inner tube 5S extends above the upper end 76 of the outer tube 26 and well into the vertical arm 4S of the elbow 5u, where the tube S8 terminates in an upward ilare 72, which is concentrically spaced in the `arm 4S, and which produces some venturi acceleration of air down through the inner tube 53.

In operation, part of the air under pressure in the air pipe 54 and moving toward the diffuser assembly Z4, passes downwardly through the upper flare 72 and into the inner diiuser tube 51S, whence the air passes laterally outwardly through the inner tube perforations `6ft into the space between the inner tube 58 and the outer tube 26, `and outwardly through perforations 32 of the outer tube 2e, into the interior of the junction 16. Another part of the air under pressure in the pipe 5d passes downwardly in the space between the inner tube 5b and the outer tube 26 and is discharged laterally from the outer tube Z6 through its perforations 32, along with air from the perforations d4 of the inner tube 53, into the interior of the junction 16, this ejection of streams or jets of air into the junction 16 from Vthe outer tube perforations 32 being accelerated by the pressures of the jets of air emerging from the perforations 6d of the inner tube 58.

The interior of the junction 16 constitutes an engine exhaust gas name point, Whereat partially ignited and unburned noxious products of combustion, both gaseous and solid, escaping from the cylinders of the engine block into the exhaust manifold 1d, are present in highest concentration and at maximum temperature in the exhaust system. The partially ignited and unburned condition of these products, being due mainiy to their being'par-tially deprived or starved of oxygen in amounts suicient to enable their `complete combustion, the forced turbulent entry of oxygen bearing air into the exhaust system at the flame point, produced by the diffuser assembly 24, effects substantially complete burning out or combustion of these products, so that these products are not discharged into the atmosphere through the exhaust pipe 1S.

Further, the downward flow of lair under pressure from the air pipe 54 through the inner `diffuser tube 58 and out of the flare 68 at its lower end, has the effect reducing the turbulence of the flow of the air injected exhaust gases in the junction 16 and in the exhaust pipe 18 immediately below the `diffuser assembly 24, and to cool the same, to the extent that exhaust gases traveling -through the exhaust pipe 18, to discharge into the atmosphere, are not objectionably higher in temperature than normal.

'Ihe air pressure pipe 54 has connected therein, at a point intermediate its ends, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 4, a back-pressure valve 76, which .can comprise a tubular valve body 78 which is sleeved on the adjacent spaced ends 80 and `82 of sections of the air pipe 54, and a flat plate valve element S4, which is hinged, at S6, on the bodyvf78'so as to abut and close the pipe section end Y82, as shown in full lines in FIGURE 4, only when there is back-pressure in the pipe 54, as when the associated Vengine is being started. Normally, air pressure in the pipe 54, produced by operation of the compressor 56, holds the valve element 84 in its open position, indicated in phantom lines in FIGURE 4.

Y rhe compressor 56 comprises an elongated open-ended cylinder 88, of uniform diameter, having external laterally annular iianges 9u and 92, on its forward and rear ends, respectively. A forwardly tapered reducer 94 has a lateral annular flange 96 on its rear end which is registered with and secured to the forward cyiinder ange 9i), as by means of Ystuds 9S, and a neck 109 on the forward end of the reducer 914 has the related end of the air pipe 54 connected thereto.

At its forward end, the cylinder 83 has an internal annular stop rib 102, which is engaged by the forward end 1114 of a stator tube 10e which is removably inserted forwardly inthe cylinder 8S through its rear end. The stator tube 1% has a rear end 1%V with which is abutted an in- Yner edge portion 11u of a ring 112 which is removably '4 secured to the rear cylinder flange, as by means of studs 114'.

As shown in FGURES 2, 6 and 7, the stop rib 1M and the ring 112 have spiders therein which are composed of radial arms 116 and 11S meeting enlarged cross section, rearwardly extending hubs 12() and 122 respectively. The hubs 12u and 122 have axial bores 124 and 126, respectively, which extend therethrough, to journal the forward end portion 128 and an intermediate 13u of a rotary impeller shaft 132, the shaft 132 having on its rear end drive means, such as a pulley 134, to lbe drivingly connected to drive means (not shown) such :as a motor or a rotary component of the associated engine.

The stator tube 106 has fixed on the interior thereof, at uniformly spaced intervals therealong, and at uniformly circumferentially spaced intervals therearound, nat radial stator blades y136, having rounded inner ends 1318 which are spaced from the rotor shaft 132, the stator blades 136 being all angled at forty-five degrees to the axis of the shaft 132, five stator blades 136 ibeing shown.

Circumposed on the rotor shaft 132, and splined thereon, as indicated at 14), is a sleeve 142, whose forward end abuts the forward hub 121i, and whose lrear end abuts the forward side of the rear hub 122. Fixed on the exterior of the sleeve 142 are iiat radial rotor blades 144, the same in number as the stator blades 136, which are similar to the stator blades 136 and are disposed in the spaces between the stator blades, and are angles at forty-five degrees to the shaft 132, oppositely to the angulation of the stator blades y136, as shown in FIGURE `5, the stator blades 136 being rearwardly angled and the rotor blades 144 being forwardly angled, so that atmospheric air is drawn through the open rear end of the compressor cylinder `8S and driven through the reducer 94, and accelerated thereby, into the air tube 54, and through the diffuser assembly 24, when the rotor shaft 132 is rotated by its drive means, Vonly while the associated engine is operating.

As enabled by the above described apparatus, as being one suitable form of apparatus, the method of the invention comprises injecting and diffusing air under pressure into the exhaust gas ame point of an internal combustion exhaust system, whether of an engine or of another device, in a manner to forcibly supply oxygen to the exhaust gases at the flame point, sufficient to produce substantially complete icombustion or burning out, at the flame point, of those exhaust gas components, both gaseous and solid, which ordinarily pass the fiame point and are discharged from the exhaust system into the atmosphere, and which are noxious and pollute the atmosphere.

Although there has been shown and described herein a preferred form of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in thestructure of and in the relative arrangements of components thereof are contemplated as'being within the scope of the invention as defined by the claim appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

An exhaust gas system comprising a horizontal internal combustion engine manifold, a vertical tubular junction connected in communication with the manifold and spaced from its ends, said junction having a top wall and having an open lower end `for connection to a muiiler equipped exhaust pipe, a vertical tubular diffuser smaller in diameter than and concentrically spaced within the junction, said diffuser being supportably engaged through the top wall of the junction, said diffuser having an upper endV above said top wall adapted to be connected to a source of air under pressure, said diffuser comprising concentrically spaced outer and inner tubes, said tubes having coextensive portions formed with closely spaced perforations extending for the major part of their lengths and girths, imperforate means spacing and connecting the tubes at their lower ends and closing the `lower end of thespace Y between the tubes, said outer tube terminating at its upper end in the region of said top wall, said inner tube having References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Brisben Apr. 23, 1907 N011 Jan. 7, 1913 10 6 Ittner Apr. 28, 1936 Fogas Oct. 3, 1939 Uhri et a1 June 4, 1940 Tendler Oct. 8, 1940 Flint Apr. 4, 1944 Hoyle etal June 13, 1950 Cohen Aug. 25, 1953 Mayer-Ortiz et a1 Apr. 19, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Sept. 27, 1935 

